The present invention relates to ophthalmic ointments for treating infective eye diseases, and more particularly, to ophthalmic ointments for treating infective eye diseases caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE).
Development of antibiotics has been recognized to be a battle against relentlessly emerging resistant strains. In recent years, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been attracted significant attention as a new type of multiple drug-resistant bacteria which are responsible for infections in various medical fields. Also, there is growing concern about nosocomial MRSA infection as the number of reported cases of MRSA infection increases every year.
Gram-positive cocci, in particular staphylococci, are by far the most prevalent pathogens of infective eye diseases such as neonatal dacryocystitis, chronic dacryocystitis, conjunctivitis, hordeolum externum, blepharoadenoma, keratitis, corneal ulcer, blepharitis (including blepharitis marginalis), endophthalmitis, orbital cellulitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, orbital infections, and postoperative infections (including infections of buckling). Recently, it has been reported that the cases of eye infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSA) are on the increase.
Furthermore, as an intraocular implant to the patients suffering from cataract become a popular procedure, postoperative MRSA or MRSE infections have become a matter of considerable concern.
Despite the growing concern over MRSA infection in the field of ophthalmology, no effective ophthalmic ointment has been proposed thus far as a therapeutic formulation of eye infections, especially those caused by MRSA.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an ophthalmic ointment for treating infective eye diseases, and in particular, to provide an ophthalmic ointment for treating infective eye diseases caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE).